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I have added a general ledger account table to my database to store account codes and their descriptions.
I have asked three potential clients, two use a 4 digit numeric code the other a 3 digit numeric code.
I have been unsuccessful in finding any standards for the account code, can anyone recommend a format based on their experience with general ledger?
Numeric(4), Varchar(5) etc…
There is no standard format. I’ve worked with upwards of 10 financial systems, all have used different GL code formats.
Have a look at the data being used currently and, if possible, check any restrictions imposed by the front-end software (ie numeric only, up to 10 characters long etc) and then set your field accordingly.
Anecdotally (just for reference) the systems I have dealt with have been (from memory) obviously unique, between 4 and 8 characters in length and only numeric – but that’s certainly not a hard and fast rule. And I’ve always stored them as
varchars because often the front-ends allow non-numeric codes (even thought I’ve never come across them being used).